This is not your father's preseason finale. What was once a showcase for fringe roster players has become a final (and in some cases, first) dress rehearsal for each teams' starting units. This is the byproduct of the NFL cutting down the preseason and extending the time between the last exhibition game and the first week the regular season.
The NFL's final week of the preseason will span four days, starting with Steelers-Colts on Thursday night and concluding with Texans-Saints on Sunday night. During the next four days, many starters will get one last chance to clean things up before the regular season, key position battles will get closer to being settled, and fans will get one last football fix before the regular season kicks off on Sept. 7 with the Lions visiting the Chiefs.
Here's a look at the top five Week 3 preseason games to watch, starting with the battle of the Big Apple.
1. Jets at Giants: Saturday at 6 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Aaron Rodgers' debut as a Jet will take place against New York's in-house rival. It may also be the first game in green for Dalvin Cook, the former Vikings Pro Bowl running back who was signed by the Jets early last week.
When the Jets have the ball, expect Rodgers to test the Giants secondary deep with Garrett Wilson, last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year who has quickly developed a bond with Rodgers during their short time together in New York. The Jets will also try to get their offensive line in sync after an interesting training camp, to say the least. While the unit has struggled at times in practice, the Jets line has allowed just one sack over their last two preseason games.
2. 49ers at Chargers: Friday at 10 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
This game initially didn't make the cut, but it jumped up to the No. 2 spot after the 49ers named Sam Darnold their No. 2 quarterback ahead Trey Lance, whose future with the team is reportedly in doubt. Kyle Shanahan said that Lance will play against the Chargers despite being held out of Wednesday's practice after being informed of his demotion.
"I mean, this isn't a thing that we're giving up on Trey," Shanahan told KNBR, via ESPN. "This is more of how Brock (Purdy) played in his seven games. ... They both looked good, but we do have to make a decision here and you only get so many reps at it, and we feel, starting about 10 days ago, that Sam really separated himself. We got to keep it real in that way."
There's a lot on the line for Lance on Friday night. If Lance plays well, it will help his odds of being traded. If he doesn't, Lance may be spending the 2023 season as the 49ers' third-string quarterback.
3. Seahawks at Packers: Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
While Rodgers has received a mountain of headlines this summer, his successor in Green Bay, Jordan Love, has been making some waves of his own. The former first-round pick has enjoyed a solid training camp that has included quality starts against the Bengals and Packers. Through two preseason games, Love has completed 66.7 percent of his throws with two touchdowns, no picks and a 124.8 passer rating.
The Packers defense will see a lot of Drew Lock, a former Broncos second round pick who has resurfaced in Seattle as Geno Smith's backup. Lock, who left Seattle's previous preseason game against the Cowboys with a knee injury, has completed 73.3 percent of his passes during the exhibition season.
"We think of him as a guy that can go out there and win a football game for us, running our whole entire offense," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently said of Lock, via Sports Illustrated. "There's nothing we do that he can't do, doesn't have a command of. That's a fortunate situation. I hope he comes out of this, this yank he got on his knee here, and can play this next week. We will have done everything we can to prepare him when the opportunity comes. We believe in him."
4. Texans at Saints: Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud will get one last chance to make his case to be the Texans' Week 1 starter on Sunday night. Stroud has endured what has been a challenge preseason for himself and the Texans, who were outscored by a combined score of 48-12 in losses to New England and Miami. If nothing else, those games gave Stroud a chance to display his toughness and resolve.
Consistency, Stroud recently said, is his biggest focus as he prepares for his next opportunity.
"I definitely know that I can be a really good player in this league," Stroud said earlier this week, via yahoo!news. "I think I've showed flashes of that. It doesn't matter until you do things consistently."
5. Patriots at Titans: Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Given the crazy amount of news this week, Ezekiel Elliott's arrival in New England has been somewhat forgotten. That may be true, but the former two-time rushing champion's debut with the Patriots is still interesting. Elliott looked the part of a featured back during his score against the Packers during his first live practice as a Patriot last week.
The Patriots defense might get the chance to face Titans starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who may play in order to get him some live game reps with Tennessee's revamped offensive line. There are also questions regarding rookie quarterback Will Levis and whether or not he will play after an injury kept him out of the team's loss to the Vikings. With Levis out, Malik Willis played the entire game, going 10 of 17 for 85 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He also ran for 91 yards on 11 carries that included a 26-yard jaunt.
